'Interview With The Vampire' TV Series Officially Happening At AMC, Will Suck Your Blood In 2022
The Vampire Lestat will rise again. AMC has officially given the greenlight to an Interview With the Vampire series based on Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles books. A TV version of Rice's vampire world has been in the works for a few years now, with Bryan Fuller attached at one point as a writer. Now, Rolin Jones, co-creator and showrunner of HBO's Perry Mason, will serve as creator, showrunner, and writer.
Deadline is reporting that AMC is moving forward with an Interview With the Vampire TV series based on the Anne Rice novel of the same name. AMC's interest in the material was first announced back in 2020, with a report stating that the rights to Rice's Vampire Chronicles and Mayfair Witches books were both scooped up by AMC.
Published back in 1976, Interview With the Vampire told the story of Louis, who recounts the long, complicated story of how he became a vampire. The book was a big hit and spawned multiple sequels, all part of what was officially dubbed The Vampire Chronicles. The book was also turned into a film in 1994 starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. While there was talk of an entire film franchise adapting more books, that never really materialized. There was an additional film, the 2002 Queen of the Damned, but it was awful so let's move on.
Here's the Interview With the Vampire synopsis:
This is the story of Louis, as told in his own words, of his journey through mortal and immortal life. Louis recounts how he became a vampire at the hands of the radiant and sinister Lestat and how he became indoctrinated, unwillingly, into the vampire way of life. His story ebbs and flows through the streets of New Orleans, defining crucial moments such as his discovery of the exquisite lost young child Claudia, wanting not to hurt but to comfort her with the last breaths of humanity he has inside. Yet, he makes Claudia a vampire, trapping her womanly passion, will, and intelligence inside the body of a small child. Louis and Claudia form a seemingly unbreakable alliance and even "settle down" for a while in the opulent French Quarter. Louis remembers Claudia's struggle to understand herself and the hatred they both have for Lestat that sends them halfway across the world to seek others of their kind. Louis and Claudia are desperate to find somewhere they belong, to find others who understand, and someone who knows what and why they are.
The Series Arrives in 2022
AMC says the Interview With the Vampire series will arrive in 2022. Deadline adds that the Network "is looking to turn Rice's collection of novels, which include the Vampire Chronicles and Mayfair Witches series, into a franchise with Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul producer Mark Johnson overseeing the rollout." Perry Mason co-creator Rolin Jones will serve as showrunner, writer, and creator of the show. Jones will executive produce along with Anne and Christopher Rice.
"In 1973, a grieving mother and extraordinary writer began what would become the finest Vampire novel ever written, all respects to Mr. Stoker," Jones said. "Nearly fifty years later we know what's expected of us. We know how much this book and the ones that follow mean to their massive fan base. We feel you over our shoulders as we tend the Savage Garden. Louis and Lestat are coming out of hiding and we can't wait to re-unite them with you."
"This is a day we have been looking forward to since we acquired this legendary Anne Rice collection a little more than a year ago," said Dan McDermott, president of original programming for AMC Networks and AMC Studios.
And Mark Johnson added: "The challenge of adapting for television the groundbreaking and immensely compelling work of Anne Rice is both intimidating and exhilarating. Having previously produced films from such singular works, I recognize both the responsibility and the obligation we owe the material. I strongly believe that with AMC and Rolin Jones we are equipped to meet this challenge and to thrill and entertain both the loyal Anne Rice fan and the viewer who is just now discovering her work."
I've read the majority of the Vampire Chronicles books, and while the quality drops off considerably after book three or four, I do think this material can make for a great TV show. A key element will be casting. Who do you get to play Lestat now? Good luck with that one, AMC.